


船幽霊 || trafalgar law

by simplysalty



Series: The Youkai Files [1]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Ayakashi, F/M, Feudalism, Gradual, Heian Period, Japanese Mythology & Folklore, Semi-Twisted Romance, very slow burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-28
Updated: 2018-02-28
Packaged: 2019-03-25 00:45:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13822917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/simplysalty/pseuds/simplysalty
Summary: 「船幽霊 II funayūrei 」-  ship ghost; a vengeful seaborne spirit of the deceased known to lure sailors to their deaths and sink various watercraft in order to evade loneliness.





	船幽霊 || trafalgar law

Glancing about your home as you strolled the hallways, you couldn't help but sigh; you had been recently handed off from your parents to some rich merchant family near the coast as a concubine of sorts to the oldest son, the first child of the family, as his wife was incapable of producing an heir. And now here you were, in a room of your very own, a colorful yet equally modest kimono wrapped around your thin form, recently provided by the man who held your life in his hands to do as he pleased.

The thought frankly unnerved you slightly, but there wasn't much you could do in this situation anymore. You were his. You didn't necessarily dislike the man, it was simply that you couldn't quite bring yourself to hold such feelings towards him that would allow you to feel more comfortable with sexual intercourse. But you were out of moves, so you simply went along with whatever the man wanted from you. After all, this was what was keeping a roof over your head in the first place.

Your gaze flickered to the shouji doors that you had left open, granting you a breathtaking view of the vast ocean that was down a small distance from the estate. When you weren't needed, you simply bade your time in your room, the majestic shades of blue and green glistening, just out of your reach, much like your freedom, much like your future. Something that seemed so beautiful, but something you could not wrap your hands around.

The moonlight gently embraced your form, slipping the silk from your shoulders and hearing it fall to the floor, cloth folding and creasing against the tatami mat below. You shut your lids as you took a deep breath, the salty smell of the sea filling your senses, hearing the faint sound of waves crashing against the rocks, and you smiled softly, opening your eyes once more, taking in the sight again. It was refreshing, no matter how many times you saw it. Your only solace.

Your gaze lingered upon the dark blue waters, before you turned around, a brilliant idea striking you. Abandoning the silken robes on the ground, you snatched a light blue yukata from beside your bed, originally intended for sleeping in, glancing over the koi and flower patterns, before quickly pulling it on and stepping out the sliding doors. You quickly located your pair of wooden sandals, slipping your feet into them before quietly hopping down into the courtyard, a rush of adrenaline filling your system as you ran towards the pier.

Upon your arrival, your consort told you he had kindly provided you with a small boat you could use to go some distance into the ocean, but never too far; there was a thick and strong rope tying it to the dock, preventing you from drifting off with it. Not that it mattered at the moment, all you wanted was to feel the ocean breeze in your long hair, over your skin which was no longer as shielded by the heavy and long kimono you wore during the day.

Though you had no way to kindle your lantern, your eyesight was good enough to navigate without it, and the sky was clear enough to shine just the right amount of light. A perfect night, truly.

Grinning to yourself like a small child, you kicked off the boat, a single oar in your hand in case you felt the need to go in some particular direction. Nostalgia and simple pleasure washed over you, clinging to you as you wistfully raked your eyes over the barely decipherable horizon, taking in all you could, relishing the rare moment to yourself. The boat gently rocked up and down, almost caressing the boat, as if afraid of damaging it, carefully taking you out to sea.

The moon rose higher into the sky, and you found yourself leaning back on your boat, staring up at it. The moon had never been as bright as the sun, why was that? Perhaps the moon god Tsukuyomi lost heart once the sun goddess Amaterasu left him, and could never shine as brightly ever since. But you would never know, you were aware. Intertwining your fingers over your belly, you shut your eyes, enjoying the feeling of simply being on the water, boat or not.

And soon, though unintentionally, you slipped into unconsciousness.

\---

Hands softly gripped you, arms carrying you. For a moment, your tired gaze caught a glimpse of flashing gold before your eyes closed, feeling too exhausted to remain open.

Had you really been this tired when you departed? You let out a soft groan, brows twitching as you tried to move, but the hands' grip on you tightened so you immediately stopped your movements, unsure of what was happening. You wanted to lash out and demand that this stranger unhand you, but at the same time, you couldn't move you were so tired. Your body was heavy, and cold.

Cold? You took a moment to explore this, before realizing something strange - you felt wet; soaked, even. Your yukata was weighing you down a great deal because of water it had absorbed, now sticking to you, goosebumps forming as chilly drops of water slowly crawled down your skin.

"Be still," came a voice, calm and smooth, soothing. It was a man's voice, making you all the more annoyed you couldn't jump out of his arms and demand who he was, but you made no visible reaction other than complying to his command. This seemed to please the man, as he went quiet again, and you soon heard the sound of footsteps against stones and soil to bare feet carefully stepping onto wood.

Wary, you anxiously listened, unsure of what was happening, but your tiredness begging you to go back to sleep. Then again who would sleep in a situation like this? You were soon cut from your thoughts when you felt the man carefully lay you on some sort of cloth, one you recognized as the type one often used to dry themselves after a bath. Shock shot up and down your arms as you felt warm hands pull off your yukata and you wanted to smack him and run, but the most you could muster was another soft groan as you weakly raised your hand, actually managing to grasp his wrist.

You congratulated yourself for a short moment, but stopped when you heard a quiet chuckle, amused by your actions. "I will not hurt you, woman. Not this time." Your grip tightened a small bit before you felt his other hand gently remove yours from his own and finally pulled off your single article of clothing, before finally feeling his burning hands on your lower back and legs, lifting you again before you were laid down upon something soft.

A futon, you soon realized - your futon. You made another small sound as you felt the blanket being pulled over your form, and the chuckle came again as you heard cloth shuffling. The man standing, you assumed. Your eyes managed to open again, once again catching the glimpse of gold, but nothing else before they shut, your body begging you to just rest already.

You heard his footsteps leaving, before you finally managed to say something.

"...thank you, you saved my life."

You had no idea what had happened, but something simply supplied you with the words when you opened your mouth. You heard him pause, unsure with your words, before he left, leaving you with a simple sentence to ponder as you fell asleep once more.

"Do not thank the one who decided not to kill you."


End file.
